Guest Blog: Who is responsible for climate change?

By Julie Potyraj from George Washington University,As extreme weather
events occur more commonly across the globe, it is becoming apparent that the
implications of climate change extend far past a change in the Earth’s average
temperature. Though all countries will be affected, The World Bank cautions that poor countries
are the most at risk for complications due to the changes in weather.
Increasingly severe droughts, floods, and heat waves will hinder crop
production and reduce the availability of safe water. Information collected by Global Agriculture shows that millions of
people in the world’s poorest countries rely on either subsistence or
commercial agriculture, so any changes in solar radiation, temperature, and
hydrologic cycle could threaten their livelihoods. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change
(IPCC) crop yields, food prices, and overall food security will be negatively
affected by climate change as well, though the exact impact is difficult to
calculate due to a variety of determinants that include regional climates,
agricultural practices, and types of crops.

Certain parts of the
world, specifically Africa and Asia, are already suffering from extreme weather
events. There has been a push to emphasize funding for climate “adaptation” in
addition to climate “mitigation.” Adaptation is the preparation for the effects
of climate change, while mitigation involves initiatives that obstruct the
progress of climate change. It is no longer enough to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions for the future; damage has already been done. Many organizations,
like The World Bank, are prioritizing disaster
risk management and other immediate climate change adaptation strategies in
order to brace for the effects of the Earth’s rising temperature in the world’s
poorest countries; without adaptation, those countries are even more exposed
and vulnerable.

Why? Because a slight change in the Earth’s
temperature can result in immeasurable consequences on the daily lives of poor
rural communities. Lower crop production, changing landscapes, and shrinking safe water supplies caused by the effects of climate
change will hinder economic development and increase world hunger. Severe weather
events facilitate the spread of
disease. The damage that weather causes to infrastructure and rural environments
makes it more difficult to provide people with the medical attention they need.
If they are unable to cope with unstable soil
conditions and unreliable water availability, rural families may be forced to temporarily or permanently
resettle.However, migration can lead to political, social, and
economic instability. Migration is an extreme and disruptive adaptation
strategy, but it may be the only option for inhabitants of the most vulnerable regions.

Though agriculture is actually a contributing factor
to greenhouse gas emissions, the people most susceptible to the harmful effects
of climate change are not necessarily the people with the power to mitigate the
Earth’s rising temperatures. The following data visualization from MHA@GW, the online Executive Master of Health Administration offered through the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the
George Washington University, compares the nations that contribute the most CO2
emissions to the nations that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate
change. Many of the most vulnerable nations are already predisposed to severe
weather events such as drought and flooding. Unless developed countries take
accountability for their contribution to climate change, the world’s most
vulnerable countries and communities will increasingly struggle to adapt to its
negative effects.